Automobile torpedo



kw. DlETER AUTOMOBILE TORPEDO med July 15. 1925 r2 sheets-sheet 1 May s, 1927. 1,627,154

' INVENTOR b 1 Mm v By Attorneys,

v @hmm t s y .w. DIETER AUTOMOBILE ToRPEDo Filed July 15 1925 2 sheets-snee#u 2 INVENTOR By Attomkeys, fmm( WW t vFig. 2'is al transversesection Athroughlthe rangement .of the -soriesfm` 4 v Referring first to Fig. 1, the torpedo is shown at Arand afragment of the launching tube at B. Thetorpedo .Ahas the usual.

Patented May 3, 1927.

\ UNITEDVsinafrlss WILLIAM Jurriaan,y or nnw'anx, New JERSEY. v f

LPATENTPOF AUTOMOBILE TonPEDo.

Application led July 15,.-1925. .Serial No. 43,791. *i

This invention relates to torpedoes of which the standard VBliss-Leavitt torpedoY is an example, in which compressed airfrom a flask or reservoir is passed at reducedv pressure through a heater or Vs'o-called superheater in which a combustible suchpas alcohol is burned, and into which atomized water is flow of compresse-d air, fuel and water into the respective pots, admittingV these to one only vfor low speed, or to two for'higher speed; or with threepots, to all threeforfthe `highest speed. v f.

a Thepresent invention provides for gam-VY ing a wide rangeof speed adjustmentbyl a substantial duplication of. the usual' superheatingpot and its accessories, including the reducing valve through which the air is fed to such pot. This admits of introducingairat low pressure into the rst pot, and at high pressure into the second pot, whereby'togive Y two sufficiently dil'erent speeds; or by :simultaneously admitting to both to give a. third and highest speed. vThe invention provides also certain features; of mechanism whereby to accomplish these desirable results.. a

I The preferredembodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying-drawings, wherein,-- l

Figure 1 is a'schematic-view, beingafragment of. the mid-section of the torpedo shown in vertical longitudinal "mid-section, withthe reducing valvesysuperheater pots andl `their accessories arranged in a single plane,: so that their workingfconnections Vmay'fbe traced. f v

torpedo, showing` a substantially .normalarcompressed air flask C, Y from which `as vusual valves, pots and iaccesleads a compressed air conduit a that con- Veys the high pressure compressed .air to the inlets to two valve structuresD D each of the usual construction in this type of tor-l pedo, that is to say, including a starting valve b and a pressure reducing valve-c (see Fig. 2), froml the latter of which a Vconduit Z leads air atreducedjpressure tothe inlet of the corresponding combustion or superheater -pot E or E from theA outlet of which con- Fica.l

*duits e e respectively lead the mixed com- Y bustion gases to two turbine nozzles f. and `f respectively; which discharge into the buckets of a turbine wheel F. This rturbine F is shown schematically as being a single Wheel,fbeing-mountedvdirectly on a propeller shaft, Q; but this arrangement may be ivaried according toany standard or suitable construction of turbine` propulsion. y

vAs the valve structures D D', heaters E E and their accessories are duplicated through- .out, it will suiice to describe one .of these systems, the corresponding. parts in the other system being'markedrwith thesame letters with the addition of prime (f)' marks.-

From the high pressure side` orchamber* g otl each vreducing yvalve is led a duct h whichl carries high pressurer air to `spin up .the gyroscope As this .has Yno relation to the ,present invention the ,course of this duct -is not illustrated.

ring valve there `alsouleads, an air duct which divides into two-.branches y' .and km which lconvey high pressure airrespectively to an airlstop valveGr and a liquid stop valve J.

These valvesnormally or before launchingV V shut offy the VWater chamber --or reservoir yH and the uel vchamber I from communlcatlon'von the one hand with thesource of air lFrom the high pressure side of 'the reduc-` at. working pressure, and on ythe other hand -vwith ,the spray nozzles in. the" heaters; the `purpose and general operation of such valves isset forth in the patent to F.LM. Leavitt, No. 1,022,486, duwrepair-9,1912. In that working pressure or from the low pressure side ,ofthe reducing `valve whereas I :no-w prefer to provide'for operating the-valves by high pressure air from the reservoir side fever, is-not-claimed in my present application','but is. made the subject of'another kapplication (Serial No. 52,383, led Aug. 25, 192,5).r`" 'f of the reducing valve.,4 This, featurehow-f the valve J: is .shown in section.

patent, however, the valves are operated atVV other of the power generating systems,

Y of the alcohol `vessel I.

The air pressure pipem enters at the bottom beneath two plungers 7, 7 above which Vare the stems of check valves 8, 8, whichare normally pressed .down to their seats by springs 9, 9. The valveJ is a double valve,

one side controlling water, and the other side alcohol or other liquid fuel. When the starting valve is opened, highpressure `air iiows through the duct on and lifts the plungers 7 'and unseats valves 8. This establishes communication fromy the fuel chamber I through duct a to the valve, and thence by a lduct p 'tothe' fuel inlet nozzle g of the heater E; simultaneously it establishescommunicat-ion from the water tank H by duct r to the valve J, and thence through duct s to the water spray nozzle t of the heater E.

The valve G is constructed essentially like the valve J. The admission of high Apressure air through duct vj opens in like manner the internal check valves andthereby establislies communication between an air duct z' vleading from the low `pressure side of the reducing valve, and the water and fuel vessels, so that air at working pressure is admitted through duct c to the top of the water vessel H and through duct Z tothe top By the utilization of` high pressure air for controlling the valves J and G and their counterparts J and G', these respective .valves are operated with great positiveness, and forholdingl them closed in their dormant condition the springs 9 which seat the check: valves 8 may be made stiiffsprings holding the valves closed positively against the possibility of leakage. As the description proceeds it will be apparent that this positive actionv of the respective valves enables the operation to be confined to one or thereby making the apparatus selective with great certainty of action. i f` Thestarting valve I) is of the type which is standard in the Bliss-Leavitt torpedoes,V

being a differential plunger valve normally receivingfhigh pressure air above it byleakage past it from theV conduit alto keep it closed until this pressure is relieved through a vent u controlled by a vent valve fw operated .by a launching trigger o 4through a lever At launching the trigger encounters anV actuating stop K projecting within the'launching tube, whereby the trigger is thrown back and the valve w opened to vent the starting valve, whereupon it is opened lby the high pressure air beneath it; all as is the well-understood operation in such torpedoes.

In duplicatingthe valves and heaters and their accessories' theyV may, for example, be arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 2. In any event the high-pressure air conduit a branches into the inlets of both valves D 'Df From this point on each of the'duplicated tliistrigger alone will be pulled an systems is of .precisely the standard construction until the outlet .conduits e e for VInotor fluid and their respective nozzles f f liver tlie air at the same pressure, yet it 'is preferable and. one of the advantages of the present invention'tliat they may be set for widelyvdifferent pressures. This setting is accomplished in the conventional way by a screw adjustment determined by means of whatl are called speed rings,` as set forth in'my Patent Noljldll, dated Marchl 9, 1915. In Fig. 2 the speed rings are shown at y y"respectively. V 1

Assuming the pressure valves to be set -for different pressures, let us assume that the pressure `of D is such as to generate iiuid `in the heater Eadequateto maintain propulsive power at the rate, for example, of

-80 I-I. P., and that the setting of the other valve o` is such as to cause the generator E to discharge fiuid at a rate suchv aslto maintain propulsive energy at, for eXample,`l20

`H. P. IVithsucli relative adjustments three powers and consequently Vthree diHerent speeds for the torpedo are-available. For

low speed E alonemay be used. For an intermediate speed E alone mayV beused.v

For the highest speed both may be used conjointly, vgiving 200 H. P.

.For determining such choice of speed preliminary to the launching, the mechanism shown in Figs.l l and 2 isl adopted. rlfhe two power ysystems are controlled by the two triggers o and Vv', the former being shown in Fig. l and both in Fig. 2. The

actuating stop or control device K is so constructed as to engage either or bothof these triggers according to its position. VIn the position shown in Fig. 2 it is tuined to one side where it engages only the Atrigger o so that upon the launching of the tor edo, the starting valve b will be opened, admitting compressed air through the heater E; `if thrown to the oppositeside it will engage only the trigger o', in which case the other Vstarting valve Z1 will be opened, admitting If set in compressed air to the heater E. the intermediate positionwhich is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 bothtriggers will be simultaneously actuated and consequent-l ycompressed air at launching will be a 1 mitted siinultalneously'to both heaters.v The control deviceK is shownas a simple, oscillating arm or lever movable to three posi- -tions and lockedin either one by a spring boltsl engaging either one of three notches in -a fixedrack .2 (Fig. 2). The construction just described admits full power to propel the torpedo immediately upon its launching, the operators only discretion being in determining which of the three powers shall be used. It may bedesirable, however, either in conjunction with this or as a substitute for it to provide forthe exercise ofthe respective powers in succession rather than simultaneously. For this purpose a modified construction or constructions maybe applied, which originally wereV shown as modifications in my present application, but which have been transferred herefrom to a divisional application filed Vby me September 14, 1926, Serial No. 135,495, lto

. which reference is hereby made for a full ing, and without re uiring any adjustment of the torpedo itsel This is of peculiar importance under war conditions, when it may be important to determine at the very last second before launching the speed at which a torpedo shall travel.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the torpedo art that the devices herein illustrated, which are the best known to me for carrying my invention into effect, may be varied or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention as herein set forth and defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a torpedo having a compressed air flask and propelling mechanism, dual: power generators each comprising a reducing valve, a heater, means for feeding fuel and water to the heater, and a discharge from the heater to the propelling motor, with con trolling means for admitting compressed air to one or both reducing valves, and thereby to one or both heaters.

2. In a torpedo according to claim 1, the controlling means comprising starting valves for the respective generators. v

3. In a torpedo according to claim l, the

controlling means comprising starting valves for the respective generators, and means adapted to be manually set to operate one or both starting valves.

4. In a torpedo according to claim 1, the

controlling means comprising starting valves for the respective generators, and means adapted to be manually set to operate one or both starting valves, comprising a movable stop which in one position intercepts the actuating part of one starting valve, and in another position intercepts the actuating part of the other starting valve.

5. In a torpedo according to claim 1, the controlling means comprising starting valves for the respective generators, and means .adapted to be manually set to operate one or both starting valves, comprising a stop movable to three positions, wherein it intercepts the actuating parts respectively ofv one, the

.. other, or both of the starting valves.

6. In a torpedo according to claim 1, the

means for feedin fuel and water vcomprising connections or admitting air from the Vreduced pressure side to fuel and water vessels to expel the liquids therefrom to theV heater. Y

7. In a torpedo according to claim, 1, the means for feeding fuel and water comprising connections for admitting air from the reduced pressure side to fuel and water vessels to expel the liquids therefrom to the heater, and stop-valves in such connections to prevent the liquid expelled by air from either generator from passingv to the heater of the other. Y

8. In a torpedo accordingto claim 1, the controlling means comprising stop-valves. normally cutting 0H access from the fuel y and water sourcesto the respective heaters,

and means for opening these valves by admitting compressed air there-to upon the admission of 'compressed air to the corresponding power generating system.

c 9. In a torpedo according to claim l, the

controlling means comprising stop-valves .l

normally cutting off access from the fuel and water sources to the respective heaters,

vand means'for opening'these valves by ad- ,mitting compressed air thereto at high pressure upon the admission of compressed` air to the corresponding power generating system, whereby the feeding of fuel and water 1 to either generating system when rendered active is made positive.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

WILLIAM DIETER. 

